The Lovereading4Kids comment

First Stories: Read With Biff, Chip and Kipper Level 4 First Stories have been specially written to introduce and practise a range of everyday words and to develop key reading skills. These four engaging and colourful Biff, Chip and Kipper storybooks include tips for reading together and talking about the story, puzzles and fun activities.

The ‘Read with Biff, Chip and Kipper’ series helps children at home to learn to read through fun, motivating stories, a clear structure and dual-track phonics and high-frequency word strands. The result will be a child who loves to read.

This new series called Read with Biff, Chip and Kipper has been created out of Oxford’s Read at Home series, the UK’s bestselling home reading series and has been fully revised in line with new educational guidelines. The series is designed to help parents support their child’s development as a reader at home whilst complimenting what the child is learning at school with the familiar characters of Biff, Chip, Kipper and Floppy the dog.

There are two key strands to the series – Phonics and First Stories, each of which is divided into 6 levels. Getting ready to read (Level 1), Starting to read (Level 2), Becoming a reader (Level 3), Developing as a reader (Level 4), Building confidence in reading (Level 5) and Reading with confidence (Level 6).

In the Phonics strand you’ll find enjoyable and entertaining stories which enable children to practise their letters and sounds just as they do at school. In First Stories you’ll find fun and motivating stories which introduce new readers to common words and everyday language. In both strands you’ll also find hints and tips for parents and plenty of puzzles and activities to make reading fun for kids. Each of the 6 levels matches the Oxford Reading Tree stages that your children will be reading at school. Finally, there are two sets of Flashcards – Word Games and Alphabet Games with further sets coming in Autumn 2011.

Synopsis

Read With Biff, Chip and Kipper is the UK's best-selling home reading series. Over 5 million copies of the series sold in the UK alone since 2005. It is based on Oxford Reading Tree which is used in 80% of primary schools. Level 4 First Stories have been specially written to introduce and practise a range of key everyday words. Fun plots and carefully levelled text create the perfect combination to build children's confidence and enjoyment in reading. Key words at this level include: saw, said, came, out, she, was, looked, children, went, going, what, help, them These four engaging Biff, Chip and Kipper storybooks include tips for reading together and for talking about the story, puzzles and fun activities. Written by Roderick Hunt and beautifully illustrated by Alex Brychta, they are perfect for children who are developing their vocabulary and reading skills. Level 4 Phonics stories are also available to introduce letter sounds and practise reading by sounding out words, as children learn to do at school. This series also provides essential support for parents through www.oxfordowl.co.uk. Visit the Oxford Owl for practical advice for helping children learn to read, all you need to know about phonics and lots of fun activities and free eBooks.